- Dec. 22. (Tues.) Zane Musa Quartet. Alto saxophonist Musa has been a cutting edge player since he was still a teen-ager, and he just keeps getting better. Spazio. (818) 728-8400.

– Dec. 22. (Tues.) “Holidays with Sweet Honey in the Rock.“ The Grammy winning a cappella vocal group brings simmering African rhythms and lush harmonies to a program of holiday celebration. Disney Hall.

– Dec. 26 – 31. (Sat. – Thurs.) The New Shanghai Circus. If there’s a manipulation of the human body that can’t be done, the Shanghai artists haven’t encountered it yet. But what’s really amazing is the fact that their astonishing acrobatics are always done with deceptive ease and utterly engaging artistry. Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. (562) 916-8501.

– Dec. 26 – 28, (Sat. – Mon.) Jonathan Butler. South African singer/guitarist Butler has been a standout since his 1987 Grammy-nominated hit, “Lies.” And he’s still one of soul/smooth jazz’s most dynamic performers. Yoshi’s San Francisco. (415) 655-5600.

New York

Freddy Cole

– Dec. 22 – 26. (Tues. – Sat.) Freddy Cole. He plays piano, sings softly and leads a trio that includes guitar and bass. And his name is Cole. But although Freddy does have some of the qualities of his older brother Nat “King” Cole, the spirit, imagination and interpretion that he brings to his music is all his own. Birdland. (212) 581-3080.

– Dec. 24. (Thurs.) A Child’s Christmas in Wales. A highly praised film version of the classic poem in which a reading by Thomas is illustrated by photographic sequences of life in an actual Welsh Village. Marvin Lichtner conceived, photographed and produced. (Full disclosure: I wrote the music that accompanies Thomas and the visual images.) The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 12 noon – 12:30 p.m. Free with Museum admission. (212) 535-7710.